Oregon State Beavers rundown: Day 1 of Sean Mannion's No. 1 status

Doug Beghtel, The OregonianRyan Katz just before the quarterback shuffle began.

CORVALLIS - On Oregon State's bye week, coach Mike Riley did not hold a regular Tuesday press conference; instead, he made an announcement that officially puts an end to one and a half games' worth of quarterback confusion:

Riley talked with Katz about some similar situations, such as the Canfield-Moevao controversy in 2007 when Sean Canfield was named starter, only to get hurt and watch Moevao re-enter the picture and win four straight games.

"I just told him to prepare like a starter,'' Riley said.

Of course, the No. 2 guy can't prepare exactly like a starter because he's working with the second unit, but he does have to keep his head in the game. Many would forgive Katz if his head does some wandering after he was benched at halftime against Sacramento State and got a quick hook at Wisconsin.

Asked whether Katz is exploring his options beyond Corvallis, Riley said "he hasn't gone there with me, any of that.''

In the Pac-12 power poll, Oregon State is 12th and dropping. Guess that means expansion will happen after all. By the way, shouldn't it be obvious that expansion is getting out of hand when a school (Texas) has three options: The Pac-12 (Pacific), the ACC (Atlantic) and no conference at all?